Resetting the standard: how much can you really save in a Zero Home Energy Bills* home?

The short answer: own a gs8 home at Carpenters Yard and you could turn your energy savings into £103,750 over the first five years, compared with other new builds.* You also pay nothing for your energy for those five years. Here's how a home delivers savings on that scale.

The average home isn't built for what's coming.

Energy prices keep moving, and rarely in our favour. The average UK home simply wasn't designed for a future of constantly rising bills. Take a look at Carpenters Yard in Epping Forest, though, and you'll find a new gs8 home that's anything but average.

That's the thinking behind 'Resetting the Standard.' Rather than treating sustainability as a line in a brochure, gs8 builds the savings into the home itself. The financial case isn't a hope, it's built in.

The numbers, broken down.

Turn your energy savings into £103,750. Over the first five years, compared with other new builds, that's what a gs8 home at Carpenters Yard is designed to save you on energy.

Zero Home Energy Bills* for the first five years. Carpenters Yard is the world's largest Zero Home Energy Bills* development, featuring the first community micro-grid, delivered in partnership with Octopus Energy.

40 times more energy efficient. A gs8 home is 40 times more energy efficient than the average UK home, which is exactly why the running costs fall so far.

Up to 15 times more airtight. A typical gs8 home is up to 15 times more airtight than a standard new build, keeping warmth in and waste down.

 Link: See your potential savings at Carpenyers Yard - Explore the homes

Why you can trust these figures?

The homes at Carpenters Yard are EPC A rated, well beyond national averages even for new-build properties. The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has described the approach as “a blueprint for new homes across Britain”, and The Times named gs8 the “pioneers of sustainable building”. The development also delivers a 42% biodiversity net gain, well above the 10% minimum required. As always, actual figures vary by home, occupancy and how you use energy.

Frequently asked questions

• How much can you save with a Zero Home Energy Bills* home?
• At Carpenters Yard, a gs8 home is designed to turn your energy savings into £103,750 over the first five years, compared with other new builds.
• Are Zero Home Energy Bills* homes really free to run?

You pay nothing for your energy for the first five years under the Octopus Energy Zero Bills tariff, within a Fair Use Allowance of around twice your home's expected yearly usage. EV charging sits outside that and is billed separately.

What makes a gs8 home so efficient?

• It's 40 times more energy efficient than the average UK home and up to 15 times more airtight than a standard new build, with the world's first community micro-grid and battery storage doing the heavy lifting.
• Is a gs8 home better for the environment too?
• Yes. Carpenters Yard achieves a 42% biodiversity net gain, well above the 10% minimum, and aims for zero waste in construction, with all non-contaminated off-cuts reused or recycled.

Where is Carpenters Yard?

In Thornwood, just outside Epping on the edge of Epping Forest. It's about 37 minutes to Liverpool Street on the Central Line.

*Zero Home Energy Bills. Fair usage limits and T&Cs apply. Visit octopus.energy/zero-bills-home for more.

Want to see it for yourself? Book an appointment with us today!

Figures are indicative and derived from third-party sources including the Home Builders Federation and Octopus Energy "Watt a Save: The New Build Advantage" (February 2026) and Rightmove (2025), with internal gs8 analysis. Variations occur by home, occupancy and market factors. Sold subject to planning permission EPF/0007/24.